Renowned for their traditional style of elegant and savory wines, Spain’s La Rioja Alta, S.A. stands tall among the producers of Rioja wine. For over 130 years, tradition has guided this winery, producing some of the finest Tempranillo-based wines of the Rioja region. Channeling their heritage, today’s La Rioja Alta, S.A. embraces modern winemaking techniques, making wines with more fruit and structure, yet balanced by a delicate elegance, ethereal and subtle, reminiscent of some of the best Burgundian wines. At their core, classic Rioja is the beating heart, and Viña Ardanza is their flagship, an icon incarnate of all that is Rioja, past and present.
Viña Ardanza is the jewel of La Rioja Alta, S.A., defined by a consistent style. A blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha, Viña Ardanza is opulent and elegant, intense with red fruit and spice, yet intriguing with coffee bean and cigar box notes. The complexity unfurls like a flower, it is structured yet ripe and balanced, with silky tannins playing out on an extraordinarily long finish. Viña Ardanza is not made every year, but only when the quality is exceptional, which can be seven times within a decade in good vintages. For me, Viña Ardanza is the benchmark for Rioja, combining Old World charisma with modern day fruit expression.
Viña Ardanza is crafted with care, Tempranillo grapes from 30-year-old vines in the La Cuesta (Cenicero) and Montecillo (Fuenmayor) vineyards (Rioja Alta), and Garnacha grapes from La Pedriza vineyards (Rioja Oriental) are hand harvested for ripeness. After processing and fermentation, the Tempranillo and Garnacha separately slumber in mature American oak barrels. Then after three years, the final blend is bottled, melding into perfection over two years within the individual bottles. And only then, and sometimes even later, are the wines released to the public. That’s why it is labeled Reserva, a minimum of five years of aging before release.
The Viña Ardanza Reserva 2016 is intoxicatingly beautiful on the nose, aromatically intense with sweet spice (clove, nutmeg, cinnamon), dried orange peel, and ripe red fruit highlighted by notes of black pepper, mushroom, caramel, and walnuts. So savory and complex, yet so fresh in its expression, although 2016 was a warmer year, the wine feels so very young in its essence. The silky, medium body glides over the palate, velvety and so well balanced, with an incredibly long finish, it seemed to linger for a very long time.
The wine really embodies elegance, and the promise of a very long life. It can be consumed now, as La Rioja Alta, S.A. only releases wines that are ready to drink, but if you have the patience to lay down a few bottles for the future, I think you will be rewarded with a more developed wine that reveals a symphony of aromas and flavors. Viña Ardanza is a perfect pair with roast lamb, barbecue, game and aged cheeses, for me, I made a Penne with Lamb Ragu, topped with Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese and fresh basil, the lamb really complimented the wine.
When you see a bottle of Viña Ardanza, you can be assured that the wine is from an excellent vintage, and made to the highest standards. And if you really want to understand how seductive Rioja wine can be, pour a glass of Viña Ardanza and enjoy the ride.
*** For more about La Rioja Alta, S.A., see my article, “La Rioja Alta, S.A., Innovation and Tradition That Stands the Test of Time”
*** For more about La Rioja Alta, S.A., see my article, “La Rioja Alta, S.A., Innovation and Tradition That Stands the Test of Time”